Summer Weekend Highs And Lows

Hello friends and hello Monday. I have blood work this morning so am operating on no coffee. Not my favorite way to begin the week, but here we go. 

The weekend. It was up and down up and down. Let's recap with Holly(PinkLadyBlog) and Sarah(Sunshine and Books) who are hosting their regular Monday morning link party. 

Friday hubs brother and sister-in-law, along with two college friends of ours who also know the brother and sister-in-law, drove from Knoxville to hang out on the lake. They arrived mid-afternoon and we spent a few hours sitting on the patio catching up, chatting, and snacking on a Greek dip I'd prepared, which is always yummy. 

The Aperol Spritz has been our summer beverage. Pretty and delicious. 

Drone shot-

Ha. Not really. Hubs snapped it from the upper deck. 

Our friend works in the food business and he brought ribs that just needed to be heated and sauced on the grill. They're so good, but are not available in supermarkets so always a treat when they share. I'd made a pasta salad, cole slaw, and baked beans to have as sides and dinner was really good. 

After dinner we opted for a boat ride, and while it was initially a bit cloudy it cleared enough for an absolutely stunning sunset. 

Perfect temperature and a watercolored painted sky. 

Now for the down side...my mom ended up in the hospital Friday night and then had surgery on Saturday. Family and friends who've known you for ever and a day are the first to understand, so Saturday morning after breakfast I headed to the hospital and hubs manned the fort boat at home. I arrived just as she was getting back to her room so perfect timing. My sister, niece, and my nephew-in-law were there too, so she had quite the welcome. We stayed for a while, then left so she could rest. 

I got back to the house about two and did some dinner prep while I waited on the boaters to return. They picked me up at the dock and we rode for a bit, then came back to swim for a while before thunder rolled in. We moved up to the patio and the guys cooked dinner-

Hubs brother and sister-in-law brought steaks for dinner so hubs grilled those and we had baked potatoes and a yummy Caprese salad. 

Somebody is hoping for a taste. 

Question-how many non-lettuce salads can one make in a summer where lettuce is questionable?Apparently quite a few. We've slowly started back eating lettuce, but I buy the whole head, remove the outer leaves, and rinse the rest well. 

After dinner we sat outside and played cards and listened to music for hours. Such a fun night. 

Sunday morning everyone left after breakfast and hubs and I went back to the hospital to see my mom. We visited for a bit, then my sister and niece arrived to take the next shift so to speak. 

I find writing therapeutic. I find putting my thoughts into words brings clarity and helps me give voice to what I'm feeling. Life is rarely just one thing. It's highs and lows, joy and hardship, love and sacrifice and people who walk beside you through it all. 

A little Monday gratitude list because every life needs one: 

~the gift of a mother in every season 

~siblings who love each other through life's easy moments and the hardest ones too

~friends and family who raise a glass to all the years that came before and all that lies ahead

~the beauty of creation reminding me He cares about the details of our lives 

To add your link or read more weekend recap posts, hop on over to our hostesses with the mostest-eses and join the fun. 

Everyday Images Hello Tuesday Edition

Hi. It's Tuesday, but I'm recapping the weekend anyway because I can. I'm linking today with Hello Monday hosted by Holly and Sarah, Talking About It Tuesdays hosted by Joanne, and Everyday Images hosted by Kym, whose most recent prompts are-

layers~current season (quarterly)~milestone~getting ready~wings~entrance~young

Also, this post might be all over the map. We'll see. Let's start with this one-

layers~

On the left a great grandmother/grandmother/mother, in the middle a granddaughter/daughter/mother, and on the right a daughter/granddaughter/great-granddaughter...the many layers of a family

Not the weekend, but this happened last week and I like the word play. Daughter1 and her Little Miss made the trek with me out to see my mama. We had a nice visit, we fed the ducks who are loud and demanding, we chatted, we looked at pictures, and then we walked with her to lunch and were on our way. The three of us stopped for lunch on our way back to the lake and little miss was an A+ car rider.

Current season (quarterly)~

We've had a rainy summer. Not necessarily all day rain, but what feels like lots of gray skies and intermittent rain. 

Friday was one of those days. I helped with a Mah Jongg class in the morning and then hit the grocery store, then hubs and I  hung out at home for a bit. We went out for Chinese food, which we haven't done in a long time because the few Chinese restaurants in town don't get fabulous reviews. 

Friends told us about a place they like so we gave it a try and we thought it was good. I mean it's take out Chinese, although we ate in, and we always go for spicy and it wasn't bad. Is that a stellar recommendation? No, but we'll go back when we want easy Chinese so that's something. 

young~

We saw this sweet thing at the entrance to my daughter's neighborhood over the weekend. There are few things cuter than a baby deer. Speaking of entrance~

We have a crepe myrtle on either side of the driveway entrance. Here's the one on the left-

and here's the one on the right. Hmmm...

These were planted on the same day, same time, and for some reason one is twice the size of the other, although both do bloom. We think it might have something to do with the electrical box on the right side of the drive, but we really don't know. 

These purslane are at the entrance to the garage. This color is called strawberries and cream, although lately there's some orangey shades in the mix too. Nature is amazing. 

Since we're on the subject of nature...

wings~

It's hummingbird central around our house and hubs added another feeder to the upper deck. The birds love it and it seems to be their new favorite spot. 

Our pet heron-

Technically not our pet, but he hangs out here a lot. Usually on the shoreline but on this day it seems he wanted a 'bird's eye view'. 

Saturday was party day. It drizzled in the morning, but cleared up (mostly) for the afternoon happenings. The Mancub's birthday party wasn't until 3 so I stayed in my pjs until it was time to leave. I have had the cough that won't quit since we got back from Florida, plus did I mention my little 'mishap'? Ugh. This year has not been smooth sailing in terms of injury. 

Last week I dropped by my daughter's house to steal from her garden (with her permission) and when I stepped out of the car, my foot landed on her soft hose, which caused the hose to roll and yep...down I went. I scraped my leg pretty good, but the bigger thing was I rolled my foot and let me tell you, it hurt. 

So I hobble in to my daughter's house and the kids come running happily to greet me and blood is gushing out of my leg, so my daughter hurries to get ice and bandaids and first aid and honestly y'all. I have been a lot this year. For everyone, myself included. 

I went to the dr for the second time yesterday and will try an antibiotic now. For the cough, not my foot. And that's if hubs doesn't smother me with a pillow first. 

I kid. 

Except he probably wants to because I'm annoying even to me. The ortho in my family and the doc today both tell me my foot is likely not broken so it's ice and the sleeve and time. 

Back to the weekend. The birthday party. My daughter should have a party planning business because she can work a theme with so many cute little touches, and the Mancub loved it. 

milestone~

Turning a year older surely qualifies. 

The Mancub's party was all things Harry Potter along with a big inflatable water slide which has nothing to do with HP and everything to do with Carolina heat and humidity and a backyard full of 9-year olds. 

There were 'Great Hall floating candles'-

pencil wands in the goodie bags, house banners hung, and Hogwarts letters in the fireplace...

Plus a  beautiful cake complete with Harry Potter themed candles-

Everyone had a lot of fun. 

Sunday morning I was up early to make ham and cheese sliders for a bridal shower daughter1 and I were attending right after church.  A sweet young couple were celebrating their upcoming wedding and I do love a bridal shower. The food was delicious and there was an ice cream bar for the bride who's been scooped up : ) So cute. 

getting ready~

...for the sun to set. 

Sunday night hubs and I kayaked over to a nearby island with a couple of neighbors to watch the sunset. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and the air was hot, the water just right. A nice way to begin a new week. 

Everyday Images On A July Monday

Good Monday morning friends. July is rolling right along and I'm going to do a bit of a photo dump today, and link with the current Everyday Images photo prompts while I'm at it (hosted by Kym at A Fresh Cup Of Coffee) Kym shares prompts every two weeks and I'm typically getting mine posted just under the wire. She leaves the link up the whole two weeks, so it's not too late if you want to try these. 

I have some random snaps on my phone that need to go somewhere and a blog is a good place to save them. 

Question-Do I actually need to save pictures of my cherry tomatoes? 

I'm going to say yes. One of my favorite things about blogging is the look back at ordinary life it offers, and pictures help all the many words I use come to life. Here are the most recent photo prompts: 

~at home (monthly)~who I'm spending time with~what I'm working on~where I'm going~when I'm taking a break~why I'm happy today~signs~

at home...

We don't have a garden but we grow a few things in pots and our cherry tomatoes ripened while we were away. We're enjoying picking handfuls every day and adding them to salads or just eating them right off the vine. This picture says summer to me. 

who I'm spending time with...

Last week it was my mama as we celebrated her birthday with a fun dinner out. I haven't been with my mom on her actual birthday in a number of years, so this was special. My sister, niece, and nephew-in-law joined the party and my mom loved having family around the table. 

She had a piece of delicious peanut butter pie for dessert, with a candle of course. 

what I'm working on...

Recreating this appetizer for one. We had this in a restaurant on Saturday night and it was absolutely scrumptious. I have friends coming for dinner this weekend and I want to make this starter for them. It's prosciutto, fresh peaches, olive oil, honey, Calabrian chili flakes, and chopped pistachios, plus a little something green which I forgot to write down and now can't recall if it was mint or basil. Either would be good. 

And of course I'm always working to perfect the selfie. Not there yet. 

where I'm going...

This week nowhere. I mean here and there but nowhere out of the ordinary. Recently we went to the land where the palm trees grow-

Technically palm trees do grow in my state, hence it's nickname The Palmetto State, but these are Florida palms.

when I'm taking a break...

When you're retired you have the opportunity for a lot of breaks. Pretty much as many as you want. This is from our recent trip to the beach which I wrote about in great detail (here and here). This is definitely my idea of a break-a beautiful view and a book on my lap. 

why I'm happy today...

Many reasons, but one would be having grown up girls with very green thumbs. Daughter1 harvested these potatoes and sent a picture while we were away. I didn't get to taste them, but there's more where these came from (aka her garden) so hopefully I'll get a sample soon. 

And look at these carrots! Daughter2 dug these up from her garden last week, then made carrot top pesto which I didn't even know was a thing? She said it tastes a bit more like parsley than basil, but still a great way not to waste any of the produce.  Her kiddos were super excited to pull carrots out of their very own garden. 

signs...

This was at the entrance to the beach path at our hotel. I made sure to shuffle my feet, but we did not see any stingrays. We didn't see as many dolphins as we usually do either, but the water was clear and there were plenty of shells. 

Insert young middle aged lady with an old soul talking about birds here-

There were literally a couple of hundred of these Black Skimmers in one particular section of the beach just a short walk down from our hotel. A volunteer with the local Audubon Society was there taking pictures one day, and he told us more about them. 

I'd never heard of this particular bird before, but their lower jaw juts out and skims the water allowing them to grab fish as they fly by. This beach is a nesting place for them, and they come back every year. They lay eggs in the sand and then the parents teach the little ones how to fly. We saw several young birds trying it out which was really cute. 

A restaurant had this sign posted as we left one evening-

We miss you too St. Pete's Beach!

Linking with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday today too because hey, it's Monday. Have a nice week everyone! 

Peaceful Easy Hodgepodge

Hi friends. Long time no blog. We've been out of town, and only arrived home Monday night. We've hit the ground running here with a full week and then company starting on Friday. I want to recap our time away, but that won't be quick (probably not short either, just sayin') so will save that for Thursday's blog.  I think? 

Today let's Hodgepodge. If you've answered this week's questions answer on your own blog, then hop back here to share answers. Before you rush off, be sure to leave a comment for the blogger before you! Here we go...

1. What's something you enjoy now that your younger self would never have appreciated? 

A great nap.  Another thing would be a vegetable plate. I wasn't crazy about vegetables as a child, but I could make a meal off of them now, especially in the summer months. 

2. What was peaceful about today? 

Early morning sunrise and that first cup of coffee...

3. It's National Blueberry Day (July 8). Will you celebrate?  You can have one of the following right now-a slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes...which do you choose? 

A slice of blueberry pie please. I made one a couple of weeks ago for some dinner guests and it was delish-

This or that-blueberries or raspberries? 

blueberries or strawberries? 

My answer is blueberries. 

I love blueberries. Also blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and boysenberries. Not sure I can pick a favorite berry, but blueberries are near the top of the list. 

4. Do you need a break? From what? 

I've just been to the beach so right now my answer is no. 

Gulf sunsets carry the stress right away. 

5. What has surprised you most about getting older? 

Probably the way I  feel on the inside not matching up with what I see on the outside. My mom used to tell me she didn't like people to know her age because once they know they sort of discount what she has to say. I get that now. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today this beauty turns 96 years young. 

Happy birthday to my mama who is loved more than words can say.